A useful pickup note tells a driver where to meet you, which car you are providing and what needs to happen at handover. It should help the journey run smoothly without becoming a record of your private life. For an Auckland trip in your own eligible vehicle, aim for enough detail to act on—and ask how to provide anything sensitive before sending it.
Drivers on Demand (DOD) is preparing personal and business services for 2 November 2026, subject to product alignment and readiness. The planned model connects customers with verified, suitably licensed drivers who drive the customer's own eligible vehicle. Bookings are not open. This guide is preparation for a future request; it does not describe confirmed booking fields, messaging features or availability.
Start with the meeting point and the car
Use a precise address and identify the entrance or meeting point that the driver should use. “Meet at the visitor entrance on the side street; I will bring the keys outside” is more useful than a long description of the property. If there are several similar vehicles, give the registration and relevant model details through the booking process DOD makes available.
Include the intended departure time, destination, planned stops and where the vehicle should finish. If a stop is essential, make it explicit rather than leaving the driver to discover it at pickup. The DOD customer page describes planned vehicle and journey information. Use the first-booking preparation guide for the wider checks around a request.
Describe the practical need
Tell DOD about any assistance or access arrangement you expect before relying on the journey. For example: “Please meet at the step-free entrance; I will have a folding walking aid” describes an operational need. A diagnosis, medical record or full personal history is not normally a useful addition to a pickup note. If a particular condition materially affects the trip, ask DOD what information it needs and how to provide it appropriately.
This is a writing approach, not a promise that DOD provides lifting, personal care or medical transport. Check the actual service scope before confirming a trip. Do not omit a relevant safety or vehicle concern just to make the note shorter; describe the issue factually and use the appropriate process when it becomes available.
Keep verification separate from free-text instructions
Do not put passwords, one-time security codes, payment-card details or copies of identity documents into a general pickup note. If DOD's final registration or verification process requests a document, follow that designated process after checking the request is authentic. A driver meeting you at the car should not need your account password to identify the booking.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner explains that Privacy Principle 1 limits organisational collection to information necessary for a lawful purpose connected with the organisation's activities. That duty applies to organisations; for a customer writing instructions, the practical takeaway is to ask what each detail helps the service do. The Commissioner's Principle 5 guidance addresses reasonable safeguards for personal information held by organisations. A carefully written note supports privacy, but does not replace DOD's responsibilities.
For another passenger or a business, agree on the contact
If you are arranging a trip for a family member, discuss the note with them where possible and confirm which practical details may be passed on. Do not assume that knowing someone's circumstances means they want their history shared with a driver. See the family-member booking guide for authority and passenger planning.
For a business vehicle, name the authorised handover contact and explain where to meet them. Avoid attaching a staff roster or client list when one contact is enough. Where site access is controlled, ask how access will be arranged rather than posting a standing alarm code in an ordinary enquiry. The business vehicle handover guide covers who releases and receives the keys.
A pickup note you can adapt
Meeting point: [Address and the agreed entrance or meeting point].
Vehicle: [Registration, make/model and relevant control detail].
Journey: [Departure time, destination, essential stops and final vehicle location].
Handover: [Authorised person providing keys and recipient at the end, if different].
Practical needs: [Relevant passenger, access or equipment details; ask separately about sensitive information].
This is an editorial template, not a live DOD booking form. Avoid sharing the completed note publicly. Before submitting it through an approved booking channel, check that the address, time and contact are current and that everyone involved understands the arrangement.
What to send DOD during prelaunch
DOD's current launch list privacy notice covers launch-interest enquiries and says the final service privacy policy will describe app bookings and verification before those features open. It specifically asks people not to enter licence numbers, identity documents, medical details or payment information in the launch form.
For now, use Contact DOD to ask a general question about the type of journey you have in mind. Keep a complete future pickup note for the proper booking process once available. Joining the launch list is not confirmation of a trip.
About this guide
Prepared by the Drivers on Demand NZ Limited editorial team using DOD's current customer, contact and launch-list privacy content, and Office of the Privacy Commissioner guidance checked on 8 October 2026. The examples are illustrative; they are not accounts of completed DOD trips. This article gives practical preparation advice and does not confirm DOD's final booking or privacy arrangements.